Historical Dictionary of the Bedouins
By (author) Muhammad Suwaed
Publication date:
30 October 2015Length of book:
304 pagesPublisher
Rowman & Littlefield PublishersISBN-13: 9781442254503
The term ‘Bedouins’ was given to nomads who came from or lived in the desert, and consisted of a sedentary population (from the badia – desert). However, in time, it came to define their social economic essence as: people who raised grazing animals and were compelled to conduct a nomadic life, to live in tents that could be dismantled, carried, and re-erected easily, and to move with their livelihood and living accommodation, according to the environmental conditions — those which provided water and grass. Not all Bedouin tribes are of Arabic origin, as all Muslim nomadic groups in the area adopted the term "Bedouins." There are Bedouin tribes of Turkmen, Kurdish Baluch, and Berberic origin and there are "Arabized" African people and hybrid people, who are categorized as Bedouins.
The Historical Dictionary of the Bedouins contains a chronology, an introduction, an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 300 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about the Bedouins.
The Historical Dictionary of the Bedouins contains a chronology, an introduction, an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 300 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about the Bedouins.
The term Bedouin—in Arabic, badawī (sing.) and bedu (pl.)—refers to Arabic-speaking nomadic and semi-nomadic groups that inhabit the arid and semi-arid regions of North Africa and the Middle East. Historically, the Bedouin were largely confined to the Arabian Peninsula and the adjacent Syrian Desert, where they made their living herding camels, sheep, and goats. Desertification and intertribal warfare forced the Bedouin to migrate in waves; over time, they abandoned their nomadic lifestyle to settle in the villages and cities of the region. Bedouin were, and remain, organized into tribal groups based on descent through the male line. As noted in the introduction to this newly published historical dictionary by Suwaed, tribal identity and tribal loyalty continue to play significant roles in organizing political and social life today. The author provides a chronology and an extensive bibliography along with the A–Z entries, which are generally brief and include some non-Arab nomadic groups living in Turkey, Iran, and North Africa…. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels of students; general readers.